Barry Bennett, a senior next
fall from North St. Paul, MN, successfully defended his national Heavyweight
wrestling championship by scoring a takedown in the last seven seconds
in the championship match the NAIA Division Ill wrestling tournament held
in Cheney, WA..

The co-captain of the Cobber wrestling team defeated Eastern Washington
State College wrestler Don Wilson. Bennett, who remained undefeated
in 33 matches this season, was defending the title he won in 1976, which
gave him the distinction of being the first Cobber to ever win an individual
national title. As national champion last year he was chosen to represent
the United States on a tour of Japan and Korea where the team wrestled
in several meets.

Four Concordia wrestlers, led by defending national heavyweight champion
Barry Bennett, advanced to the national tournament at Cheney, WA, in March.

Other Cobbers in the national competition were Tom Sorbo, 167-pound
senior from Mound, MN; Dave Smith, 158-pound senior from Winona, MN; and
Mark Jensen, 142pound sophomore from Brainerd, MN. Results were unavailable
at press time.

Bennett, a junior from North St. Paul, MN, and a co captain of this
year's Cobber team, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
(NAIA) wresfling meet in Pennsylvania, tics (NAIA) wrestling meet in Pennsylvania,
where he picked off a national title in the unlimited division. As national
champion he was chosen to represent the United States on a tour of Japan
and Korea where the team wrestled in several meets against the foreign
competition.

A two-time All-Conference performer as a defensive tackle in football,
Benneff is also one of the tn-captains for the 1977 grid squad. To add
to his titles, he was the only champion in this season's final conference
meet and was named the outstanding wrestler for the toumament which was
held at Augsburg.

Sorbo claimed runner-up title in the Augsburg tournament, and the Cobbers
finished fourth behind the champion host.

For the season, the Cobbers were 6-6 in dual meets, and will lose only
three seniors to graduation in May - Smith, Sorbo and Steve Johnson, 150
pounds from Lisbon, ND. Top records for the Cobber matmen were: Bennett
at 25-0, Sorbo at 17-7, Jensen at 21-5, and Smith at 18-10.